F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 264 Old driver, take me with you

Red Bull's latest upgrade seems to have given it an even greater advantage.

However, because the entire practice session was disrupted by the heavy rain during the first practice session, and other teams brought some upgrades to this special race in the UK, it was hard to tell exactly how many tricks they had up their sleeves.

As expected, it started raining heavily before the afternoon qualifying rounds began, making it even more difficult to figure out the opponents' weaknesses.

Due to the recent controversies both on and off the field, the team has been experiencing a slightly higher demand for media interviews.

About 20 minutes before the start of qualifying, Shu Long and Verstappen, who had already changed into their racing suits, were called out for a live interview right outside Red Bull's pit garage.

Both of them had almost become numb to it. One race after another, they never stopped whenever they had a break. Some of the interviews were from the media, while others were from the team's public relations department, who invited them under the guise of interviews to respond to questions from the outside world.

For example, this is one.

The irony is that the discriminatory word Vestapan used was Mongolia, and Mongolia doesn't actually receive much attention in the international community. In a broad sense, it's just labeled as "Asian" and "yellow race".

So having Shu Long as Verstappen's teammate this year was a huge help. Both of these labels fit Shu Long perfectly, and their interactions undoubtedly dispelled the rumors that Verstappen discriminated against Asians.

In fact, based on Shu Long's understanding of Verstappen, his willingness to help his teammate was indeed because he believed Max wasn't that kind of person.

It wasn't just because Shu Long had known the other person since he was still a nobody before he made a name for himself, and he could tell what kind of person he was from his words and actions. More importantly, he could remember the exact date of Hong Kong's return to China. No matter how bad Max was, Shu Long didn't think he could be that bad.

To be honest, when Shu Long learned this information from the chat, he was quite surprised. Perhaps it was because the Dutch education system never lets go of any of Britain's past defeats. But how could a group of race car drivers usually have so much free time to pay attention to academic subjects like normal students? Just being able to remember this was already enough to improve his impression of them.

Shu Long has a good memory, doesn't he?
However, if you were to ask someone what particularly noteworthy events occurred in Dutch history, he might actually be able to answer.

Because they are teammates, I subconsciously pay more attention to this information, not only related to the Netherlands, but also to the UK, France, Italy, Austria, Thailand, and Spain, where Alonso is from.

From language to history to cultural background, Shu Long is sometimes surprised by his own erudition.

By putting yourself in others' shoes, you can indeed feel their respect in many subtle ways.

The reporter invited this time is a familiar face; he's an official F1 journalist and commentator, a British man of Indian descent with dark skin named Lawrence Barreto.

His stance is relatively neutral, and he has a good relationship with most drivers and teams in the paddock, so it is indeed appropriate for him to speak on behalf of them.

Due to objective considerations, the lines were not rehearsed beforehand. However, with Shu Long and Verstappen taking turns saying a line each, the issues of the recent chaos in the paddock were quickly brought up, and the remaining time naturally turned to the two drivers' views on the upcoming rain race.

The rain was quite heavy.

However, it wasn't as exaggerated as during the first practice session. Silverstone's drainage capabilities are quite good, so there seems to be no need to switch to full wet tires for the time being.

Verstappen remained as nonchalant as ever about rain-soaked ranked matches, to the point of being somewhat arrogant, stating bluntly that there was no difference between dry and rainy conditions for him.

The conversation then turned to Shu Long.

As we all know, Shulong and Vestager are both top-notch fighters in rain battles. When their abilities are compared side by side so directly, the previously harmonious atmosphere of the conversation has unknowingly turned into a bit of acrimony.

Would anyone be the first to show weakness in this context?

Shu Long sighed with a hint of melancholy, focusing intently on making a rough assessment of the current slippery condition of the track with his eyes, without even considering that possibility.

“The water is even more than before, and Silverstone has a lot of high-speed corners. I’m worried that there might be some issues during the race later.”

"So you really prefer running on dry tracks to slippery ones?"

"I wouldn't say I prefer one over the other. The more water there is, the easier it is to slip, and I actually quite enjoy the thrill of being soaked. But the more wet it is, the more likely an accident is to happen. In contrast, dryness allows the friction to be fed back more clearly."

As he spoke, even Shu Long himself became a little insecure. Wasn't this preference quite obvious?
"Actually, I've always enjoyed feeling that kind of friction since I was a child, so I guess I still prefer driving in dry conditions?"

For some reason, after saying that, Shu Long felt that Verstappen's sausage lips seemed to have gotten a little thicker, and Barreto's expression next to him was also somewhat meaningful.

"What?"

"You just said driving?"

"I was talking about driving, of course. Otherwise, what else could I... what else could I do?"

Shu Long then realized that something was wrong.

Then Verstappen's sausage lips suddenly became even thicker!
Because he had heard that China was more conservative on these kinds of topics, and Shu Long was a few years younger and seemed more like a younger brother, Verstappen was initially quite reserved, afraid of setting a bad example for him.

Now it seems everyone who knows already knows—

"Someone's expression is acting strange~ Are they thinking about something dirty?"

I meant drive!

"Hmm, yeah! I was talking about drive too. Actually, I like dry tracks, but they get sore easily if they're too dry, so I don't usually go for them."

Before he could finish speaking, the furious man kicked Verstappen in the butt.

As a result, the other person laughed heartily even after feeling the pain. Barreto, out of consideration for his status, did not join in with the lewd jokes, but the teasing in his eyes felt sticky and unpleasant.

Shu Long felt a little guilty and, in a fit of anger, returned the favor with a middle finger.

As a result, the middle finger seemed to carry some indescribable meaning at this moment, and the two unruly individuals laughed even harder.

There was simply no way to associate with these shameless people. Shu Long, feeling utterly embarrassed, went back to the P room with his head down.

No wonder he's a veteran driver who's been in the paddock for 8 years, this bastard really has no sense of decency!
Gan Mengning was still a little confused. She had been paying close attention to the public opinion around her recently. She almost thought that Shu Long and his teammates had a conflict over some topic, but the reactions from both sides didn't seem to be the case. She was curious again.

Seeing that Shu Long had returned, and noticing that he didn't seem to have anything to do in the convoy, she hesitated for a moment before cautiously nudging her boyfriend to his side.

What were you talking about just now?

"chat"

The sudden sense of killing intent jolted Shu Long's nerves. He turned his head to look but found that Vistapan didn't seem to be looking in his direction. For a moment, he began to wonder if he had overreacted.

Having just been teased once, Shu Long now felt like every gaze was piercing him, so he made up a few excuses and then pretended to be very busy.

Indeed, things quickly became very busy.

After discussion, the organizers determined that the current rainfall situation did not warrant postponing the race, and the qualifying session would begin promptly at 2:00 PM local time.

At this point, Shu Long would need to re-check the car's tuning with the engineers; otherwise, once it hits the track, there would be no chance to change many details.

But actually, there wasn't much to do in Shulong's case. Compared to his teammates, there weren't many details that needed to be adjusted for his race car.

Qualifying in the rain naturally places more emphasis on the traction performance of the cars under low grip conditions.

However, considering that the main race on the second day is very likely to be a dry race, in order to balance the competitiveness of the cars on both days, the suspension tuning, such as toe and camber, is still more focused on the dry track. The main changes are in the downforce and throttle response of the engine output.

Fortunately, Silverstone's high downforce characteristics, due to its predominantly high-speed cornering layout, are not entirely a debuff even on a dry track surface. As long as the car's speed advantage remains, the more stable high-speed cornering dynamics and the ability to reduce slippage and maintain tire stability are actually advantages.

As for throttle mapping...

This device has little impact on the speed and cornering performance of the race car; it mainly tests the driver's driving skills and style.

When facing wet track conditions, the initial throttle response curve is often set to be relatively flat to reduce the possibility of the drive wheels spinning due to excessive throttle input when grip is insufficient, thus affecting traction performance.

However, on dry tracks, the sluggish response can make the car's handling unresponsive. There are pros and cons, and it depends on how the team and driver balance them.

Verstappen was confident in his keen sense of the car on wet tracks, so he only made minor adjustments to the throttle response. Shu Long, on the other hand, was much more extreme. Not only did he have an extremely strong sense of track grip, but his absolute control over his body was an advantage that no one could copy. His precise control of the throttle was often the key to his driving style, which neither his teammates nor his opponents could replicate.

To ensure that traction is not lost when exiting a corner, most other drivers adjust the throttle response to be gentler in the initial stage, resulting in a generally concave curve.

On tracks with a high proportion of low-speed corners, Shu Long sometimes considers making the initial throttle mapping more aggressive, with the general mapping curve being "convex" in order to give the car a more positive power response to his throttle input.

The action of pressing the accelerator also takes time, and Shulong is seizing that advantage that may be less than 0.01 seconds.

Even on such a slippery layout with many high-speed curves, he only adjusted the throttle response curve to be slightly more linear.

This is something others can't envy. The best training method is the one that suits you. Verstappen can still run very fast using his method.

Throughout Q1, it was basically a three-man race where Shu Long, Leclerc, and Verstappen took turns setting the fastest lap times.

The ranking strategy for rain races is to stay on the track and run lap after lap. The track conditions may improve with each lap, and if the ground is even slightly drier, someone will definitely be able to set a faster lap.

At the very last moment before Q1 stopped, Leclerc, who had crossed the line, instantly eliminated Verstappen by 0.2 seconds. Verstappen then eliminated Leclerc by 0.7 seconds. Finally, Shulong, who had entered the final push rhythm, eliminated his teammate by 0.4 seconds and moved into P1.

Gods are fighting, no idlers allowed.

Leclerc's performance in rainy conditions has always been good but not outstanding. It's not a weakness, but he's starting to fall behind the two Red Bulls.

Mercedes does seem to be showing signs of gaining momentum. Although rain will diminish the advantages of the cars and highlight the individual abilities of the drivers, the fact remains that a more powerful car will always be faster.

This year's Red Bull and Ferrari have been incredibly impressive, with their four cars raising the bar for the T0 tier. Mercedes, which is further down the line, is often 0.6 or even 0.7 seconds slower than Sainz, the slowest car in the Red Bull lineup.

However, based on their performance in the second and third practice sessions and qualifying, Mercedes has now shown a speed that is comparable to or even on par with Ferrari.

If Hamilton hadn't been complaining in the TR about his brakes being too cold, he probably could have gone even faster today.

The speed of Shu Long and his team is already deeply ingrained in people's minds. Whether it's car enthusiasts or commentators, they will still express their feelings as usual, but in their hearts, they have long since become accustomed to it.

The driver most worthy of attention on the field is Zhou Guanyu. He has come to the UK, which is practically his home turf, and even the broadcast cameras have generously given him extra screen time.

Giving him screen time has little to do with whether he's popular in the British motorsport scene; what really matters is that his speed at this race was truly remarkable.

After his impressive performances on the wet tracks in Monaco and Canada, it seems that the constant rain has actually given him a boost. When the clock stopped in Q1, he jumped directly to P6, more than 0.6 seconds faster than Bottas, who was in P7.

Especially in the second timed section, which had the most high-speed corners, Zhou Guanyu was both daring to step on the accelerator and had stable control of the car. He was almost 0.8 seconds faster than Bottas in that single section. It was only in the first timed section that he was slightly slowed down by a few medium and low speed corners.

However, this isn't the first time that Arro has had a disastrous first quarter followed by a major setback in the second quarter.

Especially with the rain showing signs of intensifying before the start of Q2, even the most professional and decisive five-star commentators were hesitant to start casting spells at this point, instead focusing their attention on the three cars in the front row.

Perhaps we need another Hamilton?
Shulong and Verstappen both broke the 1:40 mark within three rounds of progress, while Leclerc struggled to keep up but only managed a best time of 1:41.247.

Hamilton seems to have found the reason for the brake malfunction: it's probably due to the rubber strip on the brake ventilation duct coming loose, causing excessive heat dissipation and resulting in an imbalance in braking performance between the two front wheels.

The solution wasn't complicated. After the rain further narrowed the gap between the cars, they performed exceptionally well, achieving a lap time of 1:41.062 and directly moving up to P3.

However, he is still 0.4 seconds behind Verstappen, and nearly 0.5 seconds slower than Shulong.

As the rain intensified, the track's grip deteriorated further, and almost no one could achieve a better time than before. Before the clock even stopped in Q2, the final result was essentially decided.

"I have to say that both Red Bull drivers performed exceptionally well today. I feel like pole position will be decided before them, right?"

"That's for sure. Ferrari looks like they can't keep up at all, and judging from their performance, I think Shu Long has a higher chance of winning the pole position. His individual ability, with the help of the Mars rover, is just too exaggerated!"

"Speaking of which, F1 just released a video a couple of days ago showing how they rate drivers in the game, right?"

"Yes, but I feel that the scoring mechanism is biased. Shu Long and Zhou Guanyu are clearly underestimated. Oh, I just remembered Zhou Guanyu."

The soldier's gaze instinctively followed the pattern from bottom to top, and he only saw one Bottas, who had been eliminated in P12.

But Zhou Guanyu had already quietly reached P9 and successfully advanced to Q3. In the third consecutive race, he defeated his teammate in qualifying, with a lap time lead of up to 1.6 seconds!
It seems that ever since the upgrade of the chassis parts caught up with Bottas, as long as there are no mechanical failures, Zhou Guanyu can bring new surprises to the audience in almost every game.

From the initial doubts that he benefited from Shu Long's sponsorship and stole Giovinazzi's seat, many fans are now looking forward to Zhou Guanyu getting a new contract to continue growing in Arro, and some are even looking forward to the day when Zhou Guanyu can be teammates with Shu Long.

While fans are paying attention to the harmonious relationship between Shu Long and Verstappen, the mentor-student relationship between Zhou Guanyu and Bottas is also noteworthy. One is enthusiastic and willing to teach, while the other is diligent and eager to learn. They are truly a breath of fresh air in the paddock.

The season is almost halfway through, and over this long period of time, everyone has come to know Zhou Guanyu's personality and abilities to some extent.

He may not have the ability to carry the team at breakneck speed like Shu Long, but he is still a qualified and excellent second driver.

Especially now that Zhou Guanyu is learning from his teammate Bottas, who is considered an outstanding second driver in the entire history of F1, every bit of experience Zhou Guanyu can gain from Bottas will be of great benefit to his future.

Bottas might not be too happy to hear these words, but they are also a form of recognition of his abilities.

It's impossible for all 20 drivers in the paddock to be world champions. Each person's ability level has its corresponding role and function. Without a doubt, Bottas' career can be considered a very successful top-tier career.

If there is an opportunity in the future to have Zhou Guanyu and Shu Long form an all-Chinese team...
Countless car enthusiasts, both new and old, must be drooling with joy in their dreams!

The five-star studio was discussing this matter. As one of the most influential official media outlets in China, their sources are much more accessible than those of ordinary people, so they naturally know that Geely is currently negotiating with Sauber.

Although the current progress is unclear and needs to be kept secret for the time being, it does give us more hope, doesn't it?

Let's put daydreaming aside for now, because Q3 of the qualifying season has officially started.

The rain had lessened slightly, but the water accumulation on the track was still very serious. Shu Long and his team's first lap time was even over 1:50, which was nearly 10 seconds slower than their lap time in Q2.

A strange scene unfolded as Zhou Guanyu, who ran a time of 1:49.454, dominated the P1 position for nearly three minutes.

The qualifying process then became simple: ten cars stayed on the track, tirelessly draining the track, and if they felt the grip was slightly better, they would try to push up the track.

With about six and a half minutes left in Q3, Alonso officially started his leap in lap times with a time of 1:46.227.

Leclerc first improved the lap time to 1:44.844, and then Shu Long immediately improved the upper limit to 1:42.872 on his next lap. At the same time, Verstappen made a mistake at the last corner and went off the track, resulting in his disqualification. This made the commentators even more certain that pole position would be taken in this race.

可随即下一趟当束龙紧跟在勒克莱尔之后又一次更新出1：41.118时，后方的维斯塔潘就将圈速拔升到了1：41.055，在Q3停表前顺势进入到了下一轮的推进当中。

The engine's discharge strategy in the rain was relatively conservative, and the low temperature was conducive to engine heat dissipation, which was indeed enough to support the pace of two consecutive laps.

It's also clear that the track conditions are rapidly improving, and every push could potentially help drivers turn the tide of the race.

Sainz, who had been overlooked by the commentators and was originally behind Mercedes in P5, suddenly surged ahead, taking the P1 spot with a lap time of 1:40.983.

But Leclerc behind him had already spun a purple shard, and another purple shard from Shulong was immediately split into two green-yellow shards, as well as a green shard from Verstappen. Each of them posed a threat of taking down Sainz at any moment.

But it's unclear whether the Dragon Binding technique pushed Leclerc too far, or if the power of the Four-in-One technique flared up again.

Leclerc spun 360 degrees as he exited Turn 14, triggering a very brief yellow flag. This caused all the cars in the second time trial to slow down and save his teammate's pole position from the two Red Bulls.

The final rankings were: Sainz P1, Verstappen P2, Shulong P3, and Leclerc P4.

The five stars fell silent, suspecting that their healing power had once again taken effect, and desperately wanted to find an excuse to absolve themselves.

Zhou Guanyu?
Yes, Zhou Guanyu!
They practically jinxed the whole game, and in the end, only one person made it out. How come it's only P9?
Based on Aro's previous competitive performance, he should at least get a P7 in this race, so Zhou Guanyu's last lap was also ruined by the yellow flag?
Let's continue our condemnation of Ferrari!

The car, which should be on par with Red Bull, is struggling so much. They say they're letting the two drivers in the team compete freely, but they can't be as calm and decisive as Red Bull.

And then there's Leclerc; I've had a lot of complaints about him since the start of this season.

It's not just because he was the biggest threat to the champions at the beginning, but also because he suffered several undeserved withdrawals. Verstappen is getting stronger and stronger, while Leclerc seems to have completely changed his form since he was tricked at Monaco's home ground.
Now, Shulong has ruined his perfectly good pole position, and the soldier has a lot of complaints about him!
(End of this chapter)